5 Design Ideas Christina Hall Stopped Using When Flipping Houses
Christina Hall is one of HGTV's most well-known stars. She rose to prominence on the show "Flip or Flop," which she hosted with her then-husband, Tarek El Moussa. "Flip or Flop" focused on the pair buying homes in Southern California and updating them to sell for a profit. "Flip or Flop" ended its ten-season run in March of 2022. Now Christina Hall stars in the HGTV show "Christina on the Coast," where she renovates homes for clients', often having to combine interior styles or meet unique specifications for the clients.
On both shows, Christina Hall took charge when it came to interior design. On "Flip or Flop," the design was much more focused on appealing to a wider net of potential buyers. The designs often opted for neutral colors and details that weren't too personal, two factors that Maximum Real Estate Exposure appeals to most buyers. But now, Christina Hall has made a few updates to her design philosophy per Realtor. Out with the old and in with the new. These are the trends that Christa Hall no longer relies on and what she's doing instead.
Neutral exteriors
If you watch "Flip or Flop," you can see that they always opt for an exterior that's neutral, often using a combination of black, white, and gray for the homes they flip. The only pops of color would usually come from the greenery of the lawn. When flipping homes, you want to appeal to the most buyers, and color can turn some people away. But now, Christina Hall isn't afraid to play with color on the exterior of the home. In the later seasons of "Flip or Flop" and on "Christina on the Coast," you can see Christina embrace color by opting for bright doors when painting the exteriors of homes.
Adding some color can actually add to your curb appeal even if you aren't planning to sell. New England Home Shows suggest the front door, window shutters, and trim as great places to pop color onto your home. You can also use landscaping with bright flowers and plants to add a little bit of natural color.
White brick fireplace
Fireplaces are often the centerpiece of a living room. They add warmth and a space to gather around. In many older homes, fireplaces tend to be brick. But red brick often doesn't fit with many interior styles, especially as home interiors tend to skew more towards the neutral side. To fit these interior trends, Christina Hall opted to paint the fireplaces white. Painting the brick allowed for the traditional texture to remain, while the white provided a clean and modern look. Painting brick is nothing new; many homeowners opt to paint the entire brick exterior of their home. But when it comes to a painted fireplace, the trend might be swapped out for tile.
Hall is recently opting to use tile instead of paint on fireplaces. Tiling a fireplace can transform the fireplace into a statement piece, especially when using tiling patterns like herringbone, chevron, a double basket weave, or stack bond. According to Pretty Handy Girl, tiling a fireplace is a project that many homeowners can DIY. So this is a great project if you're looking to give your home a new feature.
Dark wood
Currently, dark wood is a polarizing trend. Some people say it's timeless and traditional and that it should be brought back. But others are adamant that darker woods are outdated and it's time to retire it. In 2013, when "Flip or Flop" first aired, dark wood was the dominant trend. Christina Hall often opted for dark cabinets in the kitchen and dark wood floors throughout the home. Dark wood floors may be more timeless, but dark wood cabinets are now starting to look dated.
Interior design is currently favoring lighter wood tones, and Hall now incorporates these tones throughout the homes she designs. Lighter woods help brighten up a space and create an airy look, says Cass Design Co. Natural wood finishes and lighter woods are versatile and lend well to most colors and interior styles. Blues, greens, grays, and whites pair well with light wood. And if you're after a coastal or bohemian style, light wood is the go-to.
Beige tiled floors
In the early 2000s and 2010s, beige and brown were the main colors for interior designs. The early seasons of "Flip or Flop" are a great example of this. Brown cabinets, tan counters, and beige floors were a go-to look at that time. Christina Hall often used beige tiles for the flooring of the bathrooms, kitchens, and even foyers she remodeled on the show. In many designs, these tiles were travertine, a natural stone tile that's loved for its durability, according to Flooring America. But in later seasons, Hall began mixing up her flooring options.
Currently, Hall has been loving terrazzo, a material that mixes chips and pieces of granite, marble, quartz, recycled glass, porcelain, and concrete with epoxy or cement, says Terrazo Masters. This material is durable and easy to maintain, so it's ideal for floors. But it's also customizable, allowing you to choose the color of the pieces to better match your interior color palette. Terrazzo is becoming more popular for its bold and colorful design and is being used as flooring, bathroom tiles, and even in decor accents.
Tiled backsplashes
It's hard to imagine a world where kitchen backsplashes aren't tiled. But Christina Hall has given up colorful backsplashes in her recent designs. In her early flips, Hall chose bright tiles to add a pop of color to the kitchen. The bright tiles would contrast the neutral colors of the counters and the cabinets. If you love a tiled backsplash, don't worry they aren't going anywhere. But Christina Hall presents an alternative: slab backsplashes.
Instead of using tile on the wall, use the slab of natural stone like you would with the countertops, using materials like quartz, marble, and granite. This gives the appearance of a seamless surface and can draw the eye up and make the room appear taller. A slab backsplash can elevate your design and create a focal point in the design, says Kitchen Cabinet Kings. And while a slab backsplash can look quite luxurious, it can actually be affordable. Depending on the material you choose, slab backsplashes can have similar costs to a traditional backsplash.